New PC

[Scarenius 0]

I don't really know where to start with this one, so I'll start with the PC it's replacing.

My current PC is an AMD Athlon XP 2500, 512 MB RAM, Biostar M7NCD Pro, and a Leadtek Winfast GeForce 6200. At least that's all the parts worth mentioning. I can't even remember when I bought it.

The one to replace it is currently saved on my Newegg Wish List. You can find it here: New PC 2006

The processor, which isn't listed, is an Intel Core 2 Duo 6400 which I'm buying off Tigerdirect.

So anyway, do you think I should go ahead with it all? Downgrade something, beef up something, wait for something new, or totally skimp on everything and use the extra money for a Magnum 15?

[Eldorado 0]

I can deal with a slow computer, i cant deal with crappy sounding bass

[///M5 2,833]

Boo to Intel and boo to Tigerdirect, those bastages still owe me money. I couldn't get your wish list to work, but either way for a home pc I would be looking at an AMD.

Things to beef up generically: Power supply, video card, and ram. And you don't need to beef it up but make sure the motherboard is one of the better ones.

[Scarenius 0]

M5:

I was hoping I could get away with not posting the whole thing. Here goes:

Motherboard: ASUS P5B

Processor: Intel Dore Duo 6400

RAM: 2GB DDR2 400 PQI Turbo Ram

Video Card: Evga Geforce 7900 GT KO

Case: Lian Li PC-7B plus II

PSU: Rosewill RD550-2DB-SL

HDD: Seagate Barracuda 320 GB Perpendicular Recording SATA 3.0 GB / s hard drive

(Add a generic $10 cooler to the HDD)

The grand total for all this and a few extras like a DVD Burner is about $1200. A lot of money. A lot of money. It's the only thing keeping me from hitting the "buy" button. =\

Eldorado: Currently got a Shiva MK 4 and two IA LIs that I intermittedly exchange in my Taurus in braced 3/4 MDF enclosures. Crappy bass? Nah. Crappy car for bass? Yep. =p

[///M5 2,833]

Lian Li is great.

Asus is fine

I haven't looked at video lately so ask someone who is a gamer

The PSU is crap, you need a better one

The Seagate is the only Perp drive I would look at now as the other companies are really lost. (was actually in Seagate & 2 of their competitors today).

I would up the PQI ram to something better as well.

That and go AMD. Intel desktop pc's I am not a fan of.

How is that $1200??? I only count $600 without proc.

[Scarenius 0]

Lian Li is great.

Asus is fine

I haven't looked at video lately so ask someone who is a gamer

The PSU is crap, you need a better one

The Seagate is the only Perp drive I would look at now as the other companies are really lost. (was actually in Seagate & 2 of their competitors today).

I would up the PQI ram to something better as well.

That and go AMD.  Intel desktop pc's I am not a fan of.

How is that $1200???  I only count $600 without proc.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Video: Every review I've seen, Guru 3d, Tomshardware, etc, have all said they have a sweet spot for the 7900 GT. It's just an awesome card for $250.

PSU: Any sugguestions in a similar price range? I'm very happy with my current ThermalTake, but man are they pricey.

RAM: Read this. Speed wise, it make no difference with an Intel CPU, so are you saying this from a performance or longevity standpoint?

CPU: I haven't bought an Intel processor since the Pentium MMX, but I can't ignore the rave reviews the new Core 2 Duos AKA C2Ds are making. Ditching the "Push for more MHZ" Netburst architecture seems to be the best move Intel ever made. Besides, they outperform any $250 AMD CPU on the market, and once you overclock them the 6400, well, you're suddenly comparing them to FX 60s. Maybe it is a mistake to go with Intel, but it's one I'll have to learn that on my own.

  Unit Price  Savings  Total Price    Update  Lian Li PC-7B plus II Black Aluminum ATX Mid Tower Computer Case - Retail In Stock  $99.99   	 $99.99    Update  ASUS P5B Socket T (LGA 775) Intel P965 Express ATX Intel Motherboard - Retail In Stock  $166.99   	 $166.99    Update  eVGA 256-P2-N584-AR Geforce 7900GT KO 256MB GDDR3 PCI Express x16 Video Card - Retail Mail-in Rebate  $264.99   	 $264.99    Update  Rosewill RD550-2DB-SL ATX Form Factor 12V V2.2 / SSI standard EPS 12V 550W Active PFC Power Supply - SLI Ready - Retail In Stock  $77.99  -$10.00 Instant    $67.99    Update  pqi TURBO 2GB (2 x 1GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 533 (PC2 4200) Unbuffered Dual Channel Kit System Memory Model PQI24200-2GDB - Retail Mail-in Rebate  $177.99   	 $177.99    Update  Seagate Barracuda 7200.10 ST3320620AS (Perpendicular Recording Technology) 320GB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive - OEM In Stock  $94.99   	 $94.99    Update  SAMSUNG 16X DVD

[Jmac 24]

7900GT rocks ...

[Scarenius 0]

Sorry, forgot to mention. Project is cancelled after my HT reciever died out and I put $200 into an Audiosource Amp One to replace it. Then, frustrated at my LI's inability to play as clear as I wanted, I put even more of my new PC fund money into a D2 Magnum.

I might pick this project up again once DX 10 cards are available and C2Ds drop in price a fair amount.

Also, check out the new Radeon X1900GTs.

[Jmac 24]

DX10 cards won't be out until next year and Core 2 will drop in price in the 4th quarter no doubt if AMD's new processor is released on schedule ...

[Scarenius 0]

That's about how long I planned on waiting. I'll probably put $40 into a gig of ram for this machine so it can play FEAR without thrashing. That should last me well into 2007.